Serengeti National Park. Serengeti National Park Post on Serengeti National Park

We will tell you about the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania - the most beautiful nature reserve in with diverse unique fauna and unusual flora, which is the oldest ecosystem on the planet.

Serengeti is a national natural park in Tanzania in the southeast of the African continent. This park is one of the largest in the world, its total area is about 15,000 sq. km.

History of the Serengeti Park

The name of the park is translated from the language of the local Maasai tribe means "endless lands". The park's territory is a plateau at the foot of mountains and volcanoes, rising above sea level at an altitude of 900 to 1800 meters. The surface of the plateau was formed by ash particles from erupting volcanoes, which explains a small amount of trees growing here.

For a long time, the current territory of the Serengeti Park was not inhabited by people, until late XIX centuries, the Maasai nomadic tribes did not come here. The first Europeans appeared in these places in 1891. By the 20s of the 20th century, hunters from and. During the same period, a reserve was created in a small part of the park to limit hunting, which in 1951 was significantly expanded and received the status of a national park.

German zoologists made a very large contribution to the preservation and popularization of the park. Bernhard And Mikael Grzimeki. When, despite the status of a reserve, the number of animals in the park began to rapidly decrease for various reasons, they carried out a colossal amount of work to save the Serengeti, they created an institute for the study of local nature, wrote a book and made a film about the Serengeti. Thanks to this work, global community learned about the problem of the reserve, which was almost immediately given the status of a national park.

Main attractions of the park

The Serengeti is popular primarily due to to the great variety of animals and birds inhabiting its territory. Judge for yourself - the world's largest population of ungulates in the park numbers more than three million animals, and the number of bird species living here exceeds five hundred. Moreover, some species of animals and birds can only be found here; in other parts of the world you will not find them anywhere else. Of particular interest is the period of migration of animals to the west during the drought period (October-November) and to the north during the tropical rainy season (April-June), during which animals make a massive transition of up to 3000 km. For some animals - wildebeest, gazelles and zebras - migration is associated with mortal risk - predators such as lions, cheetahs and crocodiles hunt in the park.

At the end of the twentieth century in the territory Serengeti Park Remains and traces of ancient people were found near the Olduvai Gorge. This part of the park is now closed to the public to prevent uncontrolled access by tourists interfering with archaeological research.

Interesting geographical position Serengeti National Park:

in the north it borders the Masai Mara Park in Kenya;
in the northwestern on the side of the park is Lake Victoria (Nyanza);
in the north-east there is another national park - Kilimanjaro - with the highest point at 5895 m;
in the southeast The park becomes part of the Ngorongoro Nature Reserve.

Things to Do in Serengeti

Tour or trip through the park can be purchased in the village of Seronera from one of several local travel agencies or directly from the hotel where you are staying. Tours lasting from 3 to 8 days, including the cost of hotel accommodation, will cost approximately from 800 to 2000 US dollars per person.

Classic fun in the Serengeti National Park in – jeep safari on its territory. Here tourists will be able to see the most beautiful, uniquely exotic sunrises and sunsets, picturesque landscapes African savannah, observe from close distance the fauna that lives here. The pictures of mass movements of some animal species are very impressive. Hunting during safari is strictly prohibited.
If you are not timid, you can go to walk for hot-air balloon . Extraordinary expectations await you beautiful views bird's-eye. Such an air tour can be organized through a hotel or agency in Seronera (price - up to $500).
Exotic lovers will love it excursion to the Maasai village, where you can see the nuances of life and everyday life of local aborigines.

The most suitable period for visiting the Serengeti Nature Reserve in Africa is traditionally considered winter - from December to March.

How to get to the Serengeti Valley, prices, opening hours

The largest in the park aerodrome is located in the village of Seronera in the central and most visited part of the park. Flight here from Arusha – large city in the north of the country it will take a little over an hour and cost about 180 US dollars. Flights operate daily. There are also airfields in the southern (Southern Serengeti) and northern (Kogatende) parts of the park, but the flight there takes longer and will cost more (200 and 260 US dollars, respectively).
To get to Seronera by car, you need to leave Arusha along the highway towards Lake Victoria, the distance is about 250 km.

Entrance to the park is paid: for adults - 50 US dollars, for children from 5 to 16 years old - 10 US dollars, for children under 5 years old - free. Passage is carried out through the main gate of Nabi Hill Park until 18.00; movement through the park after 19.00 is prohibited.

You can get to Seronera and by bus message Arusha - Mwanza or Arusha - Musomu.

By the way, in the village of Seronera there is office And park research institute, and information Center for tourists (opening hours - from 8.00 to 17.00).

The park is open every day, seven days a week.

Video – Serengeti National Park

Recognized world heritage UNESCO's famous African Serengeti National Park is a completely unique natural ecosystem, until now virtually untouched by human influence. This is the site of colossal annual animal migrations, where hundreds of thousands of zebras, antelopes and other herbivores invariably move in the same circle every year. Enjoy watching!

How is Serengeti National Park protected?

Serengeti Nature Reserve included by UNESCO in 1981 on the World Natural Heritage List. The park is supported by income from tourism, as well as several environmental organizations from different parts of the world. Here the current state of the ecosystem is constantly monitored, populations of animal species and their level of reproduction are studied. Many people in the world today know what the Serengeti National Park is and where it is located. They know because the popularity and grandeur of these charming places long ago crossed the borders of the African continent and spread throughout the world. It's definitely worth coming here at least once in your life. What do you think?

National Park The Serengeti is undoubtedly the most famous wildlife reserve in the world, incomparable in terms of its natural beauty and scientific value.

Serengeti National Park is located in the Great Rift of Africa. He is on the list of famous national parks peace. The park is located in Tanzania and Kenya. Savannah extends from the north of Tanzania, east of Lake Victoria, to the south of Kenya and covers an area of about 30 thousand km. square. The name comes from the Maasai word "siringet", meaning "elongated platform".

Unique climatic conditions determine the lifestyle of representatives of the local fauna. Landscape patterns vary from grasslands in the south and savannas in the center to forested hills in the north. The real forests are located in the western part of the park. The endless plains, savannas, rivers and lakes are inhabited by more than 35 species of animals, including more than a million large mammals: lions (about 3000 individuals), wildebeest, elephants, rhinoceroses, leopards, buffaloes, crocodiles, hyenas, giraffes, jackals , baboons, bat-eared foxes and many others. More than 350 species of reptiles and an endless variety of insects also represent the nature of the Serengeti. Ornithologists count about 500 species of birds in the park. The reserve is the most best place on Earth to observe the lives of lions, cheetahs and giraffes.

Tanzania is famous for its national parks. Perhaps the most famous of them is the Serengeti National Park. "Serenegeti" means "endless plains" in the Maasai language. Europeans first learned about these places only in 1913. Unfortunately, like all the territories of the British colonies in East Africa, the Serengeti plains quickly became a place of mass pilgrimage for hunters from Europe. In 1929, part of the Serengeti plains was declared a game reserve. In 1940 the plains became a protected area. However, due to material difficulties, the Serengeti plains remained a protected area only on paper. In 1951, the area was given national park status. However, international status The park received only in 1981. At the same time, it was recognized as a monument of world natural and cultural heritage UNESCO.

Serengeti National Park is undoubtedly the world's most famous treasure trove of wildlife, unrivaled in beauty and scientific value. Serengeti - the oldest and most famous park Tanzania is known for its annual migrations: some 6 million hooves trample the plains as 200,000 zebras and 300,000 Thomson's gazelles search for fresh food along with wildebeest. But even outside the migration period, the Serengeti has the most vibrant safari experience in Africa: huge herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephants and giraffes, thousands upon thousands of elands, topis, kongonis, impalas and Grant's gazelles.

Large herds of various antelopes: Patterson's eland, klipspringer, dik-dik, impala, zebra, gazelles, water and marshbuck, bushbuck, topi, kongoni, oribi, Tanzanian duiker, black horse antelope, buffalo. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, wild dogs, jackals. Small mammals: strider, porcupine, warthog, baboon, hyrax, green monkey, colobus, hussar monkey, mongoose. Large mammals: giraffe, rhinoceros, elephant and hippopotamus. Almost 500 species of birds, including: vultures, storks, flamingos, martial eagle, screech eagle, ostrich. Reptiles: crocodiles, several species of snakes and lizards. Even more such beauties await you in the selection of travel around Africa in photographs.

The most interesting sight in the largest park in Tanzania is the hunting of predators. Prides of golden-maned lions feast on the expanses of lowland pastures. Solitary leopards prowl among the acacia trees growing along the Seronera River, and many cheetahs roam the southeastern plains in search of prey. Practically unique case: All three species of African jackals are found here, along with spotted hyenas and a host of less conspicuous small predators, from the insect aardwolf to the red serval.

The sense of space on the Serengeti plains, stretching across the sun-scorched savannah to the shimmering golden horizon, seems endless, as is the pleasure of watching animals. But after the rainy season, this golden expanse of grass turns into a seemingly endless green carpet, with wildflowers scattered throughout. There are also tree-covered hills, high termite mounds, and fig trees and acacia plantations, orange with dust, stretch along the river banks. And despite the enormous popularity of the Serengeti, the park is so vast that you may find yourself the only spectator when a pride of lions begins the chase, relentlessly pursuing their food.

For many years, wide areas of the Serengeti were largely uninhabited, but a century ago the nomadic Maasai tribes arrived from the north, and with them their livestock. In 1891, the first European arrived here. He was the German naturalist and explorer Dr. Oskar Baumann. In 1913, the first professional hunters from Europe came to the Serengeti.

In 1921, a partial reserve was created in Sarengeti, the area of which was 3.2 km². A complete reserve here was formed in 1929, which also served as the basis for the organization of the National Park. As the understanding and need to protect wildlife, the reserve expanded, and in 1951 it was converted into a national park.

With an area of 8288 km², it was separated from the Serengeti in 1959. Currently Serengeti national park is one of the most famous parks in Tanzania and is the second largest, after Selous Park.

In 2009 Serengeti park celebrated the 50th anniversary of its existence. For scientists, the anniversary served as an occasion to discuss the park's need for protection from the increasing flow of tourists, as well as from incompetent development.

Recently, in the eastern part of the park, in the Olduvai Gorge area (the so-called "cradle of humanity") traces of ancient man were discovered. According to archaeologists, serious harm to research can be caused by free access to the excavation site. In this regard, it was decided to close the studied part of the park to tourists for an indefinite period.

General information, climate and topography of Serengeti National Park

total area is 14,763 km². The park is located in Tanzania, in the Serengeti region.
In the north, protected areas border with Masai Mara Game Reserve, which is located in Kenya and is a continuation of the park. In the southeast of the Serengeti Park is located biosphere reserve Ngorongoro.

In the territory Serengeti national park, located at an altitude of 910-1890 meters above sea level, dominates tropical climate. Daytime temperatures range from 25 to 30°C.

Serengeti National Park and its flora

Most of the protected area is occupied by forests, which mainly consist of ficus and acacia trees, and ebony can also be seen quite often in them. The park also features granite mountains-remnants of “mines”. They resemble stone islands that rise among a boundless sea of grass. Small mounds of rock up to 3 million years old often surround the lands where the park's campgrounds, lodges and hotels are located.

Serengeti National Park and its fauna

gained great fame due to its rich fauna. About 500 bird species and three million animal species inhabit the park's plains.

Animal migration can be called one of the features of the Serengeti National Park. Every year, during the drought period (October-November), about 220 thousand zebras and more than a million wildebeest.

The rainy season begins in April-June and wild animals moving north and west. Neither predators (for example, crocodiles) that live in rivers, nor drought can stop animals - their instinct is so strong. During this long annual journey, the animals travel a distance of 3000 km. Scientists have calculated that all this huge biomass requires approximately 4,000 tons of grass daily. Many animals die on the way, but at the same time about a quarter of a million babies are born.

In 2005, on the territory Serengeti Park discovered the world's largest pack of lions. Zoologists call it LION'pride . It includes 41 lions. Three adult males lead the pride, which also includes nine two-year-old lionesses and eight four-year-old lionesses. Also living in the pack are thirteen little lions ranging from four months to one year. Never before in Africa has there been such a large flock as this one - "Pride of Seroneras". Typical prides number between 15 and 20 lions.

Big Five leopard in Serengeti National Park

In the territory Serengeti national park you can see almost all types of African animals. This park surpasses all other African national parks in terms of the number of species (plain animals - 35).

The protected area is home to the so-called "Big Five" − lion, rhinoceros, elephant, buffalo and leopard. On the plains you can also find hyenas, jackals, baboons, giraffes, crocodiles, hippos, as well as herbivorous antelopes, waterbucks, hares, Grant's and Thompson's gazelles.

It is a nesting and stopping place for more than five hundred species of birds: secretary birds, bustards, ostriches and many small birds.

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Serengeti National Park is one of the most... famous reserves wildlife in the world. It has the highest concentration of wild animals in Africa: more than two million wildebeest, half a million Thompson's gazelles, a quarter of a million zebras. Thanks to these artiodactyls, every year in the vastness of the park a unique performance is played out every summer - a great migration.

The name "Serenghetti" means "stretched land" in the Maasai language. The Greater Serengeti includes the Ngorongoro Game Reserve, the Maswa Reserve, the Maasai Maara (in Kenya), the Loliondo, Grumeti, Ikorongo Game Reserves and the Serengeti Game Reserve of the same name in Tanzania. The territory of the “greater” Serengetti covers 12,950 sq. km, and is located between Lake Victoria in the west, Lake Eyazi in the south and the Great Reef Valley in the east. Serengeti National Park is located at an altitude of 910 m to 1890 m above sea level. The climate in the park is tropical. Daytime temperature is 25 – 30°C.

For centuries, the local plains remained uninhabited until the arrival of the Maasai tribe. The first European to set foot on this territory was the German explorer Dr. Oscar Abuman, followed by many hunters who heard about the number of valuable animals walking the African plains. Hunting became fashionable, a huge number of wild animals were destroyed, and the entire ecosystem was in danger. In order to solve this problem, the Serengeti Park was created in 1951. The Serengeti is considered the most interesting and largest park in East Africa.

Serengeti National Park: Fauna.

In fact, all African animals can be found here. The Serengeti surpasses other African national parks in the number of species (about 35 species of lowland animals) and total number animals inhabiting it. There are about 3000 lions alone.

The Big Five are also present - elephant, rhinoceros, lion, leopard and buffalo. Along rivers and streams you can see leopards, on the plains - jackals, hyenas, as well as elephants, rhinoceroses, buffalos, giraffes, baboons, hippos, crocodiles and numerous herbivores, represented by eland and impala antelopes, waterbucks, rednecks, hares, Thompson's gazelles and Granta.

The park is home to more than 500 species of birds: ostriches, bustards, secretary birds and many small birds.

The most stunning spectacle is the migration of ungulates, which spend most of the year (8-9 months) in this park against the backdrop of amazingly beautiful nature in the changing light of the great African sun. Herds of wildebeest and zebras (they are the main migrants), followed by predators, and then scavengers - the natural cycle.

Migration is a unique and dramatic natural phenomenon of the few remaining on Earth. Migration can be observed from February to June, when animals along the eastern edge rise to the north, or from September to December, when they descend again to the south, through western part parka.

During the rainy season, which lasts from November to May, herds of wildebeest, zebra and other herbivores migrate in search of fresh pasture to the Maasai Mara Nature Reserve, a kind of extension of the Serengeti, which is located in southwestern Kenya. During the dry season, the northern low-grass plains turn almost into semi-desert, and this causes a massive migration of herbivores to the areas of tall-grass steppes, where lush grass remains. In search of food, animals travel about 1000 kilometers, exposing their lives to considerable danger. And after the rains start again, the herds head back.

No one knows exactly what causes the non-stop movement of 1.5 million wildebeest, 600 thousand zebras and about 300 thousand gazelles, gathering in huge herds and covering many kilometers, crossing water obstacles, where predators lie in wait for them. This movement occurs according to a single schedule and route every year with minor time shifts, but the spectacle and grandeur of this unique natural phenomenon is difficult to describe in words.

The forests in the Serengeti mainly consist of acacias and ficus trees, with ebony also found. Another feature of the park is the granite mountain outcrops “kopje”, similar to stone islands, rising among an endless sea of grass. Small stone mounds, the “age” of which is up to 3 million years, often surround the places where the park’s hotels, lodges or camps are located.

There are various national parks in Tanzania, known to tourists all over the planet, and the number of such places is very large. Among them is the famous Serengeti National Park, which every traveler who wants to explore the true Africa strives to get to.

This park is located in the region of Tanzania of the same name, where there is the Great African Rift. Its northern neighbor is Kenya's Maasai Mara Reserve (an extension of the Serengeti), and the Ngorongoro Biosphere Reserve borders to the southeast.

These lands long time remained wild until a little over a hundred years ago when the Masai came here - nomadic tribes from the north with domesticated livestock.

In 1891, the first European arrived in the Serengeti region - the German Oscar Baumann, who was a naturalist and explorer. And in 1913, the first hunters began their activities here. From 1921 to 1029, the process of forming a reserve in this territory took place, which became the basis for the future National Park, which it, more expanded, became in 1951. This was facilitated by the awareness of the need to preserve wild African nature, because frequent hunting led to a rapid decline in the number of lions, which were called pests.

After 8 years, a reserve called Ngorongoro was allocated from the Serengeti.

At the celebration of the park’s fiftieth anniversary in 2009, scientists raised the issue of the need to protect the unique lands from mass arrivals of foreigners, thanks to which it is now actively developing. So, they limited travelers’ access to the Olduvai Gorge, where they are now examining the traces found ancient people. This was done for the safety of all finds and the purity of research.

Serengeti National African Park

The name of this area and, therefore, the park is given, it roughly means “extended area”. The climate here is specific, it contributes to the riot of life that exists in the park. It also affects their lifestyle.

Usually the Serengeti is dry and warm, but there is also a rainy season, which here falls in our spring - March-May. In October and November there is also precipitation, but there is less of it.

During the rainy season, the landscapes are full of greenery and flowers, but during the rest of the season, drought gradually sets in. Then the inhabitants of this National Park migrate to find water to save their lives.

The average temperature does not fluctuate much, it ranges from 15 degrees Celsius to 25. The coolest period in the Serengeti is June-October, especially in the evening.

Africa's Serengeti National Park also has various landscapes:

south - meadows;
center - savannas;
west - numerous forests and plains;
north - hills with forests;
southeast - volcanic massifs (Ngorongoro).

In all parts you can find a small river, lake or swamp.

Modern landscapes are far from those that were here a long time ago, when the view of the local earth's surface was formed by volcanic activity, then a huge amount of time passed, and natural elements always acted on the land, forming the current image.

Special conditions allow all kinds of flora and fauna to exist in the vast areas of the park, which are dispersed in various parts of the Serengeti. Among all, the largest number of inhabitants is represented here:

animals - about 35 species;
birds - about 500 species;
reptiles - about 350 species.

Among the artiodactyls there are:

wildebeest (more than 2 million individuals);
Thompson's gazelle (about 0.5 million individuals);
zebras (about 0.25 million individuals);
giraffes;
elephants;
rhinoceroses;
porcupines;
baboons and others.

There are also such predators:

about three thousand lions;
cheetahs;
jackals;
leopards;
hyenas

Famous birds:

flamingo;
vultures;
martial eagles;
ostriches era;
storks.

There are also such reptiles:

crocodiles;
lizards;
snakes.

Tourists are attracted by several episodes of the life of wild inhabitants, the main one of which is the great migration of ungulates, namely zebras and wildebeest. Millions of herds of these animals sweep across the vast and picturesque terrain of the Serengeti.

They are followed by predators who do not miss any opportunity to hunt. And the scavengers, who are an invariable link in the local food chain, rush after them.

This migration occurs in national park between February and June. At this time, the herds move towards the north, moving along the eastern part. They head back in September, and until December they travel through the western lands to the south.

The rainy period (November-May) forces herbivores to head to the Masai Mara, where fresh pastures are available. When there is no rain, the plains in the north become almost deserts. And this happens all the time - the inhabitants of the park chase food over distances of a thousand kilometers, constantly risking their lives.